Aircraft maintenance firm Air Works said it was because of its security procedure that the attempt by two of its employees to sabotage industrialist Anil Ambani's chopper was detected in advance.

Aircraft maintenance firm Air Works on Tuesday said it was because of its security procedure that the attempt by two of its employees to sabotage industrialist Anil Ambani's chopper was detected in advance.

"As one of the founders of India's MRO (maintenance, repair and overhauling) industry, Air Works strictly adheres to industry accepted procedures for aircraft safety and security," Air Works said in a statement.

It maintained that it was "impossible" for sabotage to have gone unnoticed, and added: "The company already maintains well documented security measures including a register for all those working on the aircraft. The company continues to review its security procedures and thus pre-empt and prevent occurrence of any such incident in the future."

Air Works said it has also initiated legal action against the two employees, Palraj Thevar and Uday Warekar, for their "cowardly and malicious act".

"The company has initiated appropriate legal action against these two employees who are part of the 52 non-technical staff whose entry to the airport has been restricted by the company."

It said it was not aware of the motive of the two men, who have since been arrested.